Undergraduate Honors Concentration
The MCB Honors
concentration accepts applications in the Spring semester
for Fall entry into the Concentration from
continuing freshmen, sophomores and transfer students.
Fall applications for Spring entry are accepted from
continuing sophomores and transfer students only, no
applications will be considered from first-semester freshmen
in the Fall semester.
The Honors Concentration Information Meeting for
Spring semester
will be held on:
Thursday, January 24, 6-7 PM in 217 Noyes Lab. You may review a copy of the slides here.
The MCB Honors Concentration is designed for exceptional MCB Majors who demonstrate personal motivation to explore a fuller complement of experiences in biology during their undergraduate training. MCB honors students typically plan to enter graduate or professional programs to reach their career goals and want an intensive undergraduate education as preparation.
Honors students must
- fulfill all normal requirements of the MCB major;
- complete honors sections in the MCB core courses (MCB 250,
251, 252, 253, 354), see below;
- complete four or more additional Advanced Honors Courses, typically taken as Juniors and Seniors (although Honors students are encouraged to begin MCB 290 research sooner);
- maintain minimum grade point averages, as required;
- other requirements may apply.
Required honors sections in the MCB Core
In addition to providing direct interaction with faculty,
honors sections are designed to develop skills in reading and
critiquing primary scientific literature, analytical thinking
and problem solving, and oral and written communication. The
Honors sections in the Core are a critical component of the
Honors Concentration curriculum and it is thus highly preferred
that students complete honors sections in all of the
Core Courses. However, under certain circumstances
students may be allowed to substitute extra work at the Advanced
level for missing the Honors section of MCB 250 or 251.
Preference may be given to students for whom this is not an issue. Please consult the
Honors Coordinator with questions about your unique
circumstances.
Advanced Honors Courses may include
- One additional 3-5 hour advanced MCB course from the Approved List of Advanced Courses for MCB Majors;
- Honors Project in one advanced MCB course from the Approved List of Advanced Courses for MCB Majors;
- MCB 290: Individual Topics (Undergraduate Research): must be taken for a minimum of 2 credit hours (or 1, if taken during the 8 wk summer session);
- MCB 492: Senior Thesis (may be applied towards graduation with distinction);
- MCB 493: Special Topics in Molecular and Cellular Biology (only certain sections apply; see Honors advisor for list of sections approved for Honors credit);
- LAS 299: Study Abroad in MCB-approved discipline-specific programs only.
- Advanced Discussion Section in approved Advanced MCB Course (see Honors Advisor for list of courses approved for Honors credit).
- Approved Supplemental Advanced Course outside of MCB (see Honors advisor for a list of courses approved in this category).
Students must consult the Honors Coordinator about the Advanced honors options. Students must complete courses in a minimum of three different categories and only items 3 and 5 may potentially be repeated. Other categories may be added over time.
Eligibility
The MCB Honors Concentration is open to MCB majors only. All
students admitted to the Concentration must either change their
major to MCB Honors, or make MCB Honors their primary major (if
completing a double major). In addition to the motivation to
perform honors work, qualifications for admittance typically include
cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better, grades of B+ or better in
mathematics and science courses taken at the University of
Illinois, and University of Illinois teaching assistant or
instructor recommendation. Interested students should apply
prior to enrolling in MCB 250/251--generally, during the Spring
of their Freshman year. Applications will also be processed
during the Fall semester to accommodate those sophomores and
transfer students enrolling in MCB 250/251 during the Spring
semester. *Please Note*: We are no longer taking applications in the Fall
semesters from freshmen
who intend to take MCB 250/251 in the Spring of their freshman
year. Such students should consult the Honors
advisor for their options, which may include enrolling in the
Honors sections of MCB 250 and 251 in the Spring. Also
note that completion of one
year of general chemistry (Chem 102 and 104) is a
prerequisite and one
semester or concurrent enrollment in organic chemistry is
strongly encouraged for students enrolling in MCB 250.
Please consult the FAQ
for more details.
Application Process
The Spring 2013 application period (for admittance to the Concentration in Fall 2013) is January 25-February 25. A link to the on-line application is available here (opening on January 25). It is recommended that you prepare and save the information in a separate document and cut and paste in the application form for submission. If you make a mistake, you may re-submit a new application. Only the last application submitted will be read.
Letter of Recommendation
Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation. This
letter must be from a
Please see the FAQ if you have more questions about the Honors Concentration.
For More Information:
Dr. Shawna Naidu
Coordinator, MCB Honors Concentration
127 Burrill Hall
(217) 333-6774
shawna@illinois.edu